Link to Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49YQhTLoGuA
Tag Archives: Syria
Crackin’ Down
So yesterday Obama announced that he had signed an executive order targeting people and entities who use technology to help authoritarian governments crack-down on dissidents.
Obama stated in his speech on Monday at the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington that:
“Technologies should be in place to empower citizens, not to oppress them,”
Ultimately these new penalties are aimed at pressuring authoritarian entities that use information technology to commit human-rights abuse. But the US in its statement specifically signaled out and targeted Iran and Syria for condemnation. The U.S. treasury department has already slapped sanctions on six Iranian and Syrian companies & government branches along with the head of Syria’s intelligence directorate. The sanctions implemented will freeze any of the assets they hold in US jurisdiction whilst also simultaneously banning any US citizen from doing business with them.
Now I am not one to criticize any steps made to help inhibit any authoritarian regimes crackdown on its people. After all, it is true what Obama has said, technology should be used to benefit the human race rather than crush it. But where my contention lies is in the selectivity of this policy. As is made clear, the policy is aimed at Iran and Syria, two regimes that aren’t or have never been in the good graces of the West. With the daily protests and rising death toll in Syria its emphasis in the statement makes sense topically as well as politically since the UN is at loss at how to best ‘discipline’ the regime’s wanton violence. But some may frown at the inclusion of Iran. If we are looking at the crackdown on dissidents, unlike places like Syria it is not going through an abnormal uproar of dissent. So why was it included? Two words… Nuclear Weapons. These sanctions fit nicely into the US’s Iran agenda and hence their integral inclusion in the statement is explained.
Now don’t get me wrong, that isn’t to say there isn’t any dissent or human rights abuses taking place in Iran. On the contrary, its record on human rights is as bleak as any paranoid authoritarian’s regime. My point isn’t that Iran shouldn’t be included on the list, just that it should have been joined by the likes of Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Jordan etc. Its inclusion and especially Bahrain’s exclusion is comical. Bahrain has been spotlighted in the news lately due to the ongoing heavy-handed crackdown on protesters as the F1 race is held on its shores. The silence on Bahrain doesn’t surprise me, though. It fits nicely into the current US stance on it, i.e. Turn a blind eye.
But another interesting thing to note is the statements focus on ‘technology’. One might wonder why stop at technology that facilitates the authoritarian governments to locate these dissenters, why not also ban the weaponry these regimes use to crack down on these dissenters? After all, knowing who your dissenters are isn’t the same as having the means to punish them. So what’s the hold up? The US is the hold up. It is the biggest arms trader in the world. Awkward to say the least. Don’t want to be seen to be shooting oneself in the foot. It seems the US’s moral compass on those who aide authoritarian regimes is lost when it comes to weaponry. Technology? No No, Dear God No. Guns & Bombs you say? How many you want?
To view this hypocrisy one simply needs to look at any of the many events that have transpired in the Middle East’s revolutionary up-heavel. An example of this would be that during the crackdown on Egypt’s pro-democracy movement the protesters in Tahrir square were being told that the US stood by them (Regardless of how timid and late this stance was) in their battle for democracy… whilst they had tear gas canisters being fired at them daily with the words ‘Made in the USA’ proudly embezzled on the side. Hypocrisy, you’re doing it right USA.
The point I’d like to stress is the fact that this policy isn’t and shouldn’t be viewed as one void of US interests. Iran and Syria have abused their positions of power and have wronged their people and therefore should be punished no question about it. I applaud the step towards holding to account those who help authoritarian regimes wrong their people, but what I don’t applaud is an inherent selectivity and bias in these steps. It’s poignant that Obama made this speech in front of the Holocaust memorial. After all, it wasn’t technology that simply led to the devastating events of the holocaust, but weaponry.
People are not blind to hypocrisy and those who make grand overtures of being the ‘world’s police force’ should remember that. As the protests in the Middle East have shown us, eloquence of words and speeches from above do not make-up for the hollowness of in-action below.
Simply stated it should be: Accountability of all, in the interest of everyone instead of the few.
Will The Real Dictator Please Stand Up.
As the barrage of emails from Assad and his wife keep coming new gems are being unearthed in these personal correspondences. Not one for unequal relations between the sexes *raise that feminist flag gurl*, Asma has been found to be emailing her friends saying SHE is in actual fact the ‘real dictator’ in her family. Now I get what she sees in Bashar… herself.
Another thing that was revealed in the emails was a joke she forwarded to her friends and family regarding the people of Homs, or more specifically, the students. The joke alludes to the fact that the student’s in Homs are dumb & stupid with a faux answer and question sheet being attached of a supposed Homs student’s answers to a test. An example of a question would be:
Q: In which battle did Napoleon die in?
A: His last battle.
*Clap clap*. Now even IF this was true and the students were to answer these questions in that manner, I would personally hi-5 them for their wit and creativity, something that the Neanderthal Assad clan are CLEARLY lacking.
But regardless of this, the interesting thing to note is that Asma Al-Assad’s family are actually originally from Homs. So looks like the real joke is on her. Bless her lack of foresight, her logic clearly makes me wonder if there is any truth to that email after all… well… in her family’s case anyways.
Next time you try and be funny Asma….Don’t
You’ve Got Hacked
So over this past week there have been a barrage of Assad’s personal emails leaked to the press and it has given an interesting insight into the personal and private life of one of the world’s most hated figures. Amidst all the chaos, mayhem and bloodshed that is currently occurring in Syria one wonders what goes on in the head of Bashar Al-Assad…. And the answer is unsurprisingly, not much. There are no real bombshells hidden amongst the emails but nonetheless the emails do help in shedding some light on what is actually going on at the top of a well renowned secretive and exclusive regime.
So here is a brief round-up of 3 things I found most humorous:
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1) His Humour: Twisted
How do we know this? Assad apparently sent a Youtube video link which re-enacted the bloody siege of Homs using toys and biscuits to amuse an aide. This guy, whilst everyone else is busy amusing themselves with funny and cute cat and baby videos he is out there LOL’ing at a bloody crackdown on his own people… which HE is instigating. I get that cat video’s are ‘too mainstream’ man but this is the wrong ‘hipster’ approach to it. Its more ‘Creepster’ if anything.
But to be honest, Ima give the dude the benefit of the doubt. Knowing him, he probably got confused and thought this video was actually a live recording of events on the ground. You see, with all that crap the Syrian State TV is pouring out it must be very hard to distinguish fact from fiction. And in this case, toy’s and biscuits probably seem just as plausible as any propaganda report that has been churned out by his beloved State TV. IF anything…. the video is probably more factual.
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2) His wife: shopping like there is no tomorrow
While Bashar is busy handling important state affairs like downloading the newest Chris Brown track (Team Breezy) and linking to his favorite educational videos on Homs, his wife was making a real difference and impact….. on their bank accounts. Woman reportedly dropped $10,000 pounds in Paris on some candlesticks. Now correct me if I’m wrong, but since when did anyone need to spend that much on candlesticks? Has no one alerted the woman of the advent of electricity? Even the gluttonous Kings who ruled in the Dark ages are turning in their graves at the thought of that much wonga being spent on candlesticks. Unless she dropped that amount on a bunch of candles she plans to send to the many areas in Syria which are currently being besieged by her husband’s security forces I see no good reason why she did what she did. Hell, the figure 10,000 and the word candle should never be in the same sentence together… Ever!
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3) His Love life: Saucy
Well ‘ello ‘ello. Look what we have here. The above picture was sent to Bashar by a yet unidentified confident of his.
Now putting aside the fact that this girl is clearly a desperate hussy, one begs the question, how does this guy do it? This guy has got the face of a muppet and the personality of a puppet … he isn’t a catch but more of a loss, and that’s putting aside all the blood he has on his hands. Yet he still seemingly has woman swooning over him. I have never understood the appeal of a repressive dictator let alone a mass murdering one. From Mubarak’s wife, to Ben Ali’s wife, to Bashar’s wife etc. it seems like a heartless, corrupt and bloodthirsty git is not a turn off. Do these women have no ounce of self-respect or worth? Aren’t we woman supposed to be the nurturing, caring and loving ones? Yet we find so many of this high-profile woman shirking this maternal side to them and sticking by their barely there men. There is no rhyme or reason to why they would sell their morals down the river &….oh wait .. hold up…. *re-reads point number 2* …oooooh I see it. One word: Kerching. Money makes the world go round and apparently, these woman’s love lives aswell. It’s all about the dolla dolla bills.
Apparently in these woman’s cases, some things aren’t priceless, and for everything there is Mastercard.
Owned
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Turkeys Prime Minister Erdogan recently stated that his country no longer has confidence in Bashar Al Assad’s regime in Syria. This new statement adds to the mounting pressure on Assad’s regime to end its brutal crackdown on its civilians. As the death toll continued to rise the Turkish prime minister urged Syria’s government to “turn back from the edge of the cliff”. Erdogan has also warned Assad that continuing this brutal crackdown threatens to place him on a list of leaders that are seen to “feed on blood.”
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It was also noted that during this statement Erdogan refereed to Bashar Al- Assad disrespectfully by addressing him by his first name. Consider yourself diplomatically owned Bashar. You know you have reached an all time low when even the basic diplomatic courtesy is not afforded to you by a former regional ally. I’m guessing someone spent their past Eid greeting card-less. If I were you I would de-activate my Facebook before it chooses to de-activate you.
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Forever Alone
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I’m Special
King Abdullah of Jordan has added to the growing pressure on Syrian president Bashar Al Assad to resign from his post over the continuing violent and brutal crackdown on civilians in Syria. This comes amidst recent decisions by the Arab League to suspend Syria’s membership this Wednesday. King Abdullah of Jordan stated that “if I were in his shoes, I would step down,”.
This is the first direct call for Assad’s resignation by any Arab leader in the region so on that regards this is a welcome step forward. But once again, we must not overlook the fact that Jordan itself has its own problems when it comes to the governmental structure that King Abdullah heads. Some of the problems we see in Syria politically are mirrored in its neighboring country Jordan. So as is typical of Arab leaders, and leaders in general, its easier to preach than to practice. And in that respect, King Abdullah is no different.
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People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.
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The Syrian ‘Contestation’
I know I haven’t written a new blog post in a while but I have unfortunately succumb to the laziness of the summer holidays. Plus I have been doing a bit of traveling and this has unfortunately messed up my writing schedule…yes I just used the word schedule to describe my erratic posting, I thought I’d bring a bit of sophistication to this post.
But it was actually through one of my travels that I was inspired to write this next blog post. I recently got back from a Viva Palestina conference which was held in Lebanon. It had a wide range of speakers who lectured at this event, from people like Salma Yaqoob, Ghada Karami and Karma Nabulsi to more controversial speakers like George Galloway. It was actually the last speaker who actually spurred me to write this post over his unabashedly biased and unfair views on the Syrian situation. So this post will basically flesh out some of the points I heard and have heard about before, regarding Syria.
Syria is Unique
Now this argument basically states that we cannot compare Syria to the revolutionary upheaval that is going on in other countries in the Middles East as Syria is ‘unique’ and is dealing with a ‘special’ set of circumstances.
Well to this I say, yes Syria is unique…so what? So is every other country on this earth and every human being for that matter. No one is stating that Syria is a de facto carbon copy of Egypt, Tunisia etc., all we are saying is that its PEOPLE share the same grief. What I don’t think is unique to Syria is the desire by its people to simply be free of tyranny, oppression, torture and censorship. The power structures do differ in each of the different countries in the Middle East but that doesn’t mean we can’t judge each regime as harshly or as equally when it comes to the crimes it commits against its people. This excuse of Syria being a ‘unique’ case baffles me. It baffles me because it not only was the same tried and tested excuse used by dictators like Gaddafi, Mubarak, Saleh etc. but it is an excuse which is as vacuous and hallow as its orators morals.
Bashar looking for peace and reform-
Correct me if I am wrong, but last time I checked Bashar wasn’t traipsing round Syria blowing bubbles, handing out daises and making peace signs.
Fear of sectarianism-
This point has been highly debated, so I won’t go into too much depth. But what I say is whose fault is it if it does turn into sectarian warfare? Syria, like Bahrain, suffers from a minority complex, a twist let’s say on the Napoleon complex. By simply keeping the status quo the threat of ‘sectarian’ warfare is only exacerbated as it simmers under the flames of injustice. You are not going to resolve these so called fears of sectarian warfare by sticking to the status quo and wishing the so-called divisions away.
Plus remind me again who is the one currently loudly spouting these fears of ‘sectarian warfare’? Yes you guessed it, none other than the state itself. Suddenly the people murdering their own civilians in cold blood have acquired a sense of worry and attentive care over the possibility that its people might supposedly kill each other without its help.
I have yet to hear protesters in the street abroad or in Syria scream and rant about sectarian warfare. Last time I checked the chants weren’t sectarian in nature but specifically Bashars-&-the-rest-of-his-regime-should-f-off in nature.
And to say this is purely sectarian would be a grand disservice and affront to the many Alawites who have also stood against the Syrian’s regimes actions. This belief in the sectarian card seeks only to benefit the regime in power.
Need Syria to stabilize region-
When has the region ever been stable? Countless wars and conflicts have time and time again torn the region apart. And these wars and conflicts usually have the fingerprints of foreign powers all over them. But this revolution sweeping the Middle East is the first time initiation and actions have been spurred by the domestic populace and not some elitist twats in offices in Washington or London etc. It is only through the direct rule of the people that the region will finally find some sort of stability or peace. No longer will we have to put up with the west’s feigned cries of concern about bringing democracy to the shores of the Middle East…through bullets & bombs. This democratic spirit will instead be carried and resolved by the voices and chants of the people.
Pro-Palestine & Anti –Israel:
Now this excuse was a big favorite with a few *cough George Galloway cough* pro-Palestinian activists. This excuse basically states that Syria is basically one of the few countries in the region which is unabashedly pro-Palestinian and anti-Israeli in its foreign policy. This is in stark contrast to lets say countries like Egypt under Mubarak’s rule which had stood by and done nothing to help ease the Palestinians plight.
So let’s tackle this point head on. Because Syria is ‘Pro-Palestine’ and ‘Anti-Israel’ (which by the way I don’t actually believe is truly the case) it means that it should be cut a little slack. What a Joke. How about if we used this type of logic and implemented it into another scenario. Just because a murder is a registered annual donator to Oxfam, Amnesty, The Red Cross etc. does not mean he should be judged any differently than a murder who is not as tickled pink when it comes to his charitable donations. That would be complete lunacy. I don’t care about Bashar’s foreign policy what I care about is his current disgraceful domestic policy. So even If he were to single handedly head into Gaza ready to do battle with Israel guns blazing like some Rambo stunt double, not a dam thing would change in my opinion. His people are still dying and being shot at in the streets. Fact. I don’t care if he cares & nurtures ill puppies to full health in his spare time and helps old ladies cross busy motorways as a hobby. This all doesn’t change the fact that as I type people are being shot at and bombed for the sake of securing his backside on the throne for a longer period of time.
And another thing, so he is pro-Palestine, tell me what has changed in the years he, or his dad in that case, have been in power? Correct me if I’m wrong but Palestine is still occupied and Gaza is still blockaded. Fat help his pro-Palestine stance has been to resolving the issue.
Also, there is a cloud of contestation surrounding the actual relationship between Israel and Syria. Israel in fact is not exactly popping champagne bottles and toasting to the idea of the Syrian regime maybe falling. Because as people rightfully say, better the devil you know than the devil you don’t.
So Bashar’s regimes political standing on the issue of Palestine doesn’t at all justify or excuse the brutal crackdown on protesters we see occurring. It’s still a tyrannical dictatorship regardless of whether or not it’s in bed or in a ring with Israel.
The blood of Syrians shouldn’t be used to wash away the blood of Palestinians, freedom should be a right afforded to all and not just the select few.
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Till Next time,
The Real Hero’s
Have you ever asked yourself what would happen if you lived elsewhere or were born into a different life or fate? Would you be the same person you are now or would your current self be a hollow shell of your potential self. The fact you were born and live in a western developed country already means you have won the lottery of life by being in the top bracket of richest people in the world. This is because the west holds 45% of the worlds wealth even though they only compromise 13% of the worlds population. And that’s simply a fact from birth.
We all fall privy to taking the things we have for granted by complaining about things which would probably not even register on the radar of concerns of the majority of the world’s population. We all have needs and desires, but I’m guessing if we hadn’t won the geographical lottery our needs and desires would probably be markedly different. I’m not saying its evil or bad that we have been so lucky in life and that we can at times take things for granted. After all we are only human and as humans we are flawed and are in a way programmed to survive, live and adapt to the direct environment surrounding us. I’m just saying this becomes a problem when we choose to not look beyond our self-engrossed lives and fail to take heed of the lives and concerns of others. It’s when we become immune to the world around us that we begin to falter and loose balance and perspective. Some may call it ignorance; I like to call it pure laziness.
The current events in the Middle East I feel have really highlighted this for many people I know. People who were apolitical or not bothered suddenly have found their eyes opened to this new awareness of reality. Its mainly because many of my friends are Arabs like me and happen to have or know of people in the region. So seeing this turmoil and unrest occurring close to home has affected them. But the problem I sometimes find I ask myself, is what would happen if we were in the heart of that revolution? Would I act differently? Would I be that person who doesn’t speak up out of fear? Would I be complacent? Would I be as brave as those we hear about daily on the news?
The reason I wanted to speak about this was because of two main events I heard about that both distressed me.
The first one relates to the 13 year old child named Hamza Al-Khateeb who was beaten up arrested and grotesquely mutilated by security forces in Syria for joining a protest. The link below I think does his story justice in recounting what actually happened:
http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/features/2011/05/201153185927813389.html
He was only 13. Imagine that, at 13 I was busy worrying about which toy I wanted my parents to buy me or where I wanted to go out to with my friends. But here is this 13 year old protesting and enduring things that not even a fully grown man could endure. The torture he suffered is that straight out of the worst horror movies. But yet he had to suffer through it all and loose his life simply because he chose to join a protest. Protesting? Something many of us would go out of our way to avoid doing. And I will be the first to hold my hands up and say I don’t go to as many as I should and that’s something I will personally work on changing.
And the second event that brought this closer to home was finding out some news from a good friend of mine about her 17 year old cousin who has been arrested, detained and beaten by police for simply wanting to start up a protest with friends in Saudi Arabia. The details below of what happened were sent to me by her and I have paraphrased it as best as possible:
He wanted to start a protest in Qatif with around 6 other boys about the current situation in Saudi with the arbitrary arrests and the abhor able role of Saudi forces in Bahrain. So they all decided to go to Qatif and just as the boys started to gather, they arrested him. His aunt wanted to see him so she went to the prison place and asked the people there where he is. Of course they sent her from center to center from Qatif to Demmam until 3 in the morning trying to find where they had detained him. When they found him he had obviously been beaten. He has exams next week and the family doesn’t know when or if they will let him out. His dad offered to pay money but they said no. His name is Mousa Jaffer Alsadah and his date of birth is 13 august 1993.
So for those who ask me what is the point of all these revolutions and protests I say it’s for people like Hamza, Mousa and the many other brave souls like them. People whose unashamedly brave & bright light should not be dulled & crushed by a repressive dictatorial self-interested-and-engrossed regime. People whose actions put the majority of supposed ‘real’ men & leaders to shame. They do this all so that subsequent future generations can live without fear of this ever occurring to them. So that they never have to deal with such inhumane depravity. They sacrifice their today for the bright future of others tomorrow. Not many of us would be able to do or endure what they did. And I’m not asking any of you to do that, all I’m asking is that you make sure their actions aren’t all in vain. So do your bit and please spread the word anyway you can by sharing this article if you haven’t already. This is especially a pressing matter of concern regarding my friend’s cousin Mousa Jaffer Alsadeh who is still being unfairly detained as I post this.
Till next Time,
Rest In Peace Little Angel, Hamza Al-Khateeb
